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Kraftwerk: “Not the happiest of all laws”
Photo: Christoph Hardt / Panama Pictures / IMAGO
Last year, significantly more consumers complained about their electricity or gas supplier than in 2022. The energy arbitration board received 25,000 applications for arbitration last year - "more than ever before," as managing director Thomas Kunde told the digital media company Table .Media said.
Compared to the previous peak year of 2022, the number of complaints reportedly increased by almost 40 percent.
This increase is also due to the legal price controls, said customer.
»Those weren't the happiest of laws that were written.
They are incomprehensible and leave gaps.” According to a preliminary evaluation by the arbitrators, around 1,900 complaints related to the price caps.
According to the information, the number of providers against whom complaints were filed has grown significantly in recent years: in 2021, the arbitration board received applications against 400 providers, in 2022 against 550 suppliers and in 2023 against around 750. According to the managing director, the processing time for the arbitration cases is customer now up to a year.
The Energy Arbitration Board is an independent and neutral institution for resolving disputes between consumers and energy supply companies.
It is supported jointly by the Federal Association of Consumer Organizations and the energy industry associations.
The arbitration procedure is free of charge for consumers.
mic/AFP